


The Fabric of Time, Love, and Plaid

by Smol_Moo



Category: The Prom (2020), The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, all the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29956635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smol_Moo/pseuds/Smol_Moo
Summary: Emma looked out the window, her eyes flicking from where rain was cascading down outside, lit up by a lamp post, to Alyssa, who was wearing her clothes with her hair soaking wet and an amused (albeit guilty) smile on her face.“You’re insane.”OREmma gives Alyssa a flannel shirt when she blows up the peanut brittle and it follows them through their relationship
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 51





	The Fabric of Time, Love, and Plaid

Alyssa Greene had exploded peanut brittle, and it had been absolutely hilarious. Not because it was funny watching someone get covered in hot sugary goop, but because Kaylee and Shelby were standing next to her and the looks on their faces made it so worth it. In the moment, Alyssa was horrified, running out of the room to try to get the stuff out of her hair before it hardened, but later she would laugh at it because _oh my god their faces_. 

Alyssa heard the bathroom door open behind her and found Emma Nolan standing there, a shirt in one hand and an awkward look on her face. She looked really cute, but Alyssa couldn’t dwell on that. She had quickly hardening sugar covering the upper half of her body. 

“Uh hi,” Emma greeted, approaching the cheerleader with caution, “I wasn’t sure if you had a change of clothes and I always do because, y’know, pranks. So I thought I’d bring you some in case. Sorry of that’s weird or-”

“Thanks,” Alyssa cut off her rambling softly by putting a hand on the blonde’s shoulder, “I actually don't have a change of clothes. I wasn’t expecting to blow up peanut brittle today.”]

“Were you expecting it to happen tomorrow?” 

The joke was dumb. Alyssa laughed anyway.

“Yes actually, I was planning on wearing my finest hazmat suit.”

“Ah,” the blonde nodded along faux-seriously, “maybe you should’ve checked your calendar properly this morning.”

Alyssa grinned, “Maybe.”

She threw out the last of the goo-covered paper towels she had been wiping herself down with before taking the clothes from Emma and offering her a smile. 

“Thank you so much for this”

“Anyone would do it.”

“No,” Alyssa argued quietly, “I don’t think they would. I think you might just be really kind.”

Emma’s cheeks tinted pink and Alyssa smiled at her again before heading into one of the stalls to change. She heard the bathroom door open and close again and she sighed. 

She pulled the shirt over her head, tucking it into her pants haphazardly and pulling on the flannel that was there to replace her sweater. It was too big. Much too big. Big enough that it had to be assumed the shirt was too big for Emma too, and it was like that on purpose. 

Alyssa took in a deep breath, the scent of lemon and lavender surrounding her comfortably. She didn’t want to think about why that might’ve been. Alyssa Greene wasn’t gay. She couldn’t be, her mom would kill her. So she wasn’t.

***

Alyssa Greene was absolutely gay. 100,000%. There was no doubt about it in her mind. And that was terrifying. 

She had kissed a girl. _At bible camp_. And she liked it… a lot.

 _fuck_. 

Alyssa’s first girlfriend was a girl called Madi. It was a summer thing, a very unplanned summer thing, but a thing no less. They were at camp together, and they had bonded over how academically inclined they were. That was to say, they practiced debate together and then made out a lot. 

Then the end of summer came and Madi decided they would end too. Madi was Alyssa’s first heartbreak, and to make it worse, she couldn’t share it with anyone. No one would understand. So she kept to herself, managing to make it home on the long car ride with her mother without losing her cool and burying herself in the most comfortable item she had at home as soon as she arrived. A dark green flannel shirt she had never given back to Emma Nolan. 

***

Alyssa was soaked. Head to toe, her entire body drenched in rain, but she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was getting to Emma. Mrs. Greene didn’t want Alyssa to leave the house, but her best friend had just been kicked out and she wasn’t just going to stay home and do nothing. So she climbed out her window, grabbed her bike, and rode 30 minutes through a torrential downpour to Betsy Nolan’s house. 

She wasn’t exactly dressed for panic-rain-biking, so by the time she arrived at the house she was drenched with cold rainwater, her clothes sticking to her uncomfortably as rain dripped from her hair into her eyes. She knocked on the front door. Betsy opened the door carefully, checking to see who it was before she opened the whole way.

“Alyssa,” she sighed in relief, pulling the young girl into the house before looking her up and down.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Emma really needs you,” Betsy started, but she stopped Alyssa before she could get too far into the house, “howeverrrr,” she sung lowly, “you need to get changed first because I am not letting you walk through my house like that. You know where the bathroom is, I’ll grab you some clothes.”

Alyssa made her way down the hall to the bathroom, closing it over and stripping out of the uncomfortably wet clothes she had on. Betsy handed her some clothes through the door, telling her to leave the wet ones there and she’d dry them before she had to leave. Alyssa thanked her, pulling on a pair of Emma’s sweatpants and an old band t-shirt. 

“Thanks Betsy,” she called to the older woman who only nodded and getured up the stairs to where Emma’s room was.

Emma had a room at Betsy’s because she would spend weekend’s there when she could. Her parents liked to have gatherings and get super drunk on weekends, Emma hated it. When she was a kid Emma would go on weekends to visit with her Gran and Pop. But Pop Nolan passed away when she was in 6th grade, and after that she went because Gran’s house was better than being at home with her angrily grieving parents. Alyssa safely assumed that the same room would be the room Emma would be inhabiting now. Because her parents were complete fucking morons who didn’t know what they were giving up. 

Emma Nolan deserved the world. Alyssa may be biased, seeing as she had a giant crush on her best friend, but honestly Emma was one of the kindest, smartest, and most down-to-earth people in all of Indiana. She deserved everything better than this.

Alyssa reached the door and peeped inside, her heart breaking at the sight she was met with. Emma was curled up on her bed, tears running down her face silently, dressed in black pyjama pants with little rainbows on them and a hufflepuff hoodie that she had covering her hands as she tried to make herself as small as possible. 

“Emma?” Alyssa spoke quietly so as to not startle the blonde. No such luck, she was met with a small jolt of shock and a surprised look. 

“Alyssa? What are you doing here? If you’re here to tell me we can’t be friends anymore can you please wait until tomorrow because I’ve had enough heartbreak for toni-”

“No! I didn’t come to tell you we can’t be friends anymore.” 

“You didn’t?”

“Of course not! I came to bring you chocolate, ice cream, and someone to keep you company.”

“chocolate?”

“Yes Nolan, chocolate.”

Emma smiled weakly, “cool. What kind?”

“All the best ones I could find at the store.”

Suddenly Emma seemed to notice something, sitting up and squinting at Alyssa before realizing she wasn’t wearing her glasses. She wiped tears away and shoved them up her face before her eyes widened. 

“Alyssa…” 

“Yes?”

“How did you get here?”

“I biked.”

Emma looked at her in horror. 

“You _what_?!”

“I biked.”

Emma looked out the window, her eyes flicking from where rain was cascading down outside, lit up by a lamp post, to Alyssa, who was wearing _her clothes_ with her hair soaking wet and an amused (albeit guilty) smile on her face.

“You’re insane.”

“You needed support.”

“Not if it meant you get hypothermia! Jesus Alyssa what the fuck.”

Alyssa grinned at her, laughing at the incredulous look on her friend’s face.

“Do you want the chocolate?”

“......yes.”

“Then save the lecture, we can deal with my bad decisions later. It’s Comfort Emma Nolan Time.”

“You’re still insane.”

“Who’s surprised?”

Emma laughed at that, the tears had stopped. Alyssa was glad. She was happier when Emma made room for her on the bed and she was able to pull her into a hug.

“You deserve the world Emma Nolan,” she whispered, feeling the way Emma trembled in her arms, “they’re idiots. You’re amazing.”

“You’re not mad I’m gay?” Emma asked and Alyssa pulled back and smiled sadly at her.

“No Em, I’m not mad. I’m gay too.”

Hazel eyes widened in shock and Alyssa paused almost comically as she realized what she had just admitted. That was not meant to come out like that. _Oops. fuck._

“Uh-” 

“Sorry,” Alyssa moved back suddenly, removing herself from Emma and isolating herself to the corner of the bed, “I didn’t mean to say that.”

“No?”

“Nope.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

Alyssa looked up in surprise, “yes I’m telling the truth. Why would I lie about that?”

Emma shrugged, “I don’t know. Just checking.”

“I’m telling the truth. I’m gay. I- yeah. No one can know though.”

“Trust me, I won’t tell a soul. Especially if it means you end up anything like me.”

At the reminder of the day's events, tears slid down Emma’s cheeks again. Alyssa moved back to bring Emma into another hug, her heart cracking in her chest as the girl melted into her, crying. She deserved so much better than this.

They stayed like that for hours. Late enough that Betsy recommended Alyssa stay over, but she had to decline. Her mother didn’t even know she was gone. Betsy raised her eyebrows at the information but didn’t say a word, instead handing Alyssa her dry clothes back. A pair of black leggings, a blue t-shirt, and a thick dark green flannel. Alyssa had still been in her cheer uniform when she got the news and just threw on the first clothes she could find. If Betsy noticed that the flannel was definitely not something Veronica Greene would buy for her daughter, she didn’t feel the need to mention it. 

***

She was wearing the shirt the day she kissed Emma for the first time.

Emma had performed in the thanksgiving day assembly earlier in the day, and Alyssa couldn’t draw her eyes away. She had watched with unabashed admiration. And then she realized she was making heart eyes at her secret best friend and she had to tone down the looks. But her heart still soared at the sight of Emma performing, her soft voice floating through the air in a way that should’ve earned her a standing ovation. She got a shoe thrown at her instead, but what was new.

Alyssa rode up to the Nolan’s around 4:00pm, cool air rushing through her hair as she went, pulling into the driveway smoothly. She dismounted her bike and ran up the stairs, knocking on the door and smiling widely when Betsy opened it. 

“Alyssa!” the older lady greeted with a welcoming smile, “what can I do for you?’

“Is Emma home?’

“I think so. Head up and look if you want.”

“Thanks! It’s good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too kid,” Betsy laughed, ruffling Alyssa’s hair as she ran past, cackling at the look of horrified annoyance on Alyssa’s face as she tried to fix her hair.

Alyssa stopped in front of Emma’s door. She fixed her hair. She straightened her shirt. She opened the door.

“Alyssa?”

“Hi.” Alyssa walked up to her and stood right in front of her, taking a deep breath to steady herself before meeting confused hazel eyes with her own, “I’m going to do something really stupid now.”

“Wh-”

She kissed her. Emma melted into it immediately. It felt like a breath of fresh air, it felt like a million butterflies took flight at once, it felt like someone set off an entire firework show with one match... it felt _right_. Emma’s hands fell to her waist softly, pulling her closer. Alyssa didn’t ever want to break away. 

But oxygen is needed to survive, so eventually, they pulled away, and Emma rested her forehead against Alyssa’s. 

“Why would that be something stupid?” She whispered breathlessly.

“I wasn’t sure you felt the same way, but I couldn’t help myself.”

Emma grinned, “do you even know how long I’ve wanted to do that?”

“Probably not as long as I have.”

“Bet.”

“Bet.”

“A year.”

“A year and a half.”

“A year and a half.” the blonde echoed deadpan. 

Alyssa laughed, tackling Emma back onto her bed and leaning over to press another kiss to her lips. 

“Yes, a year and a half.”

“You should’ve just done it,” the blonde said and Alyssa looked at her incredulously. 

“What- Neither of us were even out then!” 

“Still! I would’ve come out sooner if it meant I’d get to kiss _the_ Alyssa Greene!”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. 

“No you wouldn’t’ve. That would’ve been a super dumb move.”

“Still. I think I’m going to think about this for the rest of my life.”

“How about,” Alyssa leaned in, “just do it again?”

Emma smiled up at her and nodded softly, “I suppose I could do that too.” Her hands tightened around the collar of Alyssa’s shirt, pulling her down so their lips met again. She pulled back suddenly. 

“Is this my shirt?” she asked and Alyssa blushed. 

“Maybe…”

“You kept it?”

“I wasn’t going to throw it out! It’s my favourite clothing item!”

“It is?”

Alyssa blushed harder, closing her eyes and falling on top of her best friend to bury herself in her neck.

“It is. It makes me feel safe.”

Emma melted at that. She moved Alyssa back up to meet her eyes.

“That’s really fucking gay.”

Alyssa let out a choked laugh at that. 

“Oh my God Nolan.”

“What? You thought I’d be sappy? No ma’am, you’ve been crushing on a sarcastic moron.”

“Oh, I’m aware.”

There was a pause and after a moment Emma rolled her eyes playfully.

“You want me to be sappy don’t you?’

Alyssa grinned cheekily, “kinda.”

The blonde let out a suffering sigh, “okayyyy. Alyssa, I really like you. 

“Oh good. I like you too.”

“Will you go one a date with me?”

Alyssa pretended to think for a moment. 

“Nah.”

“Ouch. Kiss and run huh?”

Alyssa laughed and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of Emma’s nose, correcting her glasses that had fallen into a very crooked position. 

“Yes, I will go on a date with you.”

“Omg do you like, have a crush on me or something?” Emma teased, her voice high in a valley-girl imitation. 

Alyssa matched her immediately, “ew no, that’s like totes grody.”

They burst into fits of giggles. Eventually they calmed down and Emma looked back up at Alyssa again, her eyes softening at the happiness reflected on the other girl's features. 

“Can I kiss you?”

Alyssa blushed, a smile taking over her face.

“Yes.”

***

As their relationship evolved, the flannel became just one of the items of Emma’s clothing that Alyssa kept with her to feel safe. She had a few shirts, a hoodie, the flannel, and a few other random pieces that had been collected over the time they were dating. By the time their one and a half year anniversary rolled around, Alyssa hadn’t worn the flannel in almost a year. She opted more for sweatshirts instead, drowning herself in the fabric when she could to bring a sense of peace to her when she needed it. 

And then came the prom. 

And suddenly, the clothes were heartbreakingly real. Her most comforting possessions were a reminder of the things her mother had done. Of the things she didn’t do. 

“Did you know?”

_Ouch._

“No!”

… 

“Maybe it was all an experiment or to piss off your mom!”

_What the fuck._

… 

“You know what my mother is like!”

...

“I believe you have feelings for me, but I can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much.”

Alyssa’s heart stopped in her chest. It stopped, and then it broke.

“Is this… are you breaking up with me?”

There was a moment of silence.

“I guess I am,” Emma's voice was thick with emotions and exhaustion, “yeah. Bye.”

Every piece of her broken heart shattered into a thousand more tiny pieces, breaking over and over again until it was nothing but dust. A tear slipped down her cheek. Then another. Then another. Until she couldn’t see, and the only sound she could hear was her own sobs as she slid down the brick wall behind her and curled into a ball. She wished the ground would swallow her whole. She wished for a most painful death. Anything would feel better than what she was feeling as her entire heart broke over and over again. 

She slid her knees up and buried her head in them, trying to block out the taunting sunlight. How could it be such a nice day when everything hurt _so fucking badly_? 

If Alyssa thought her first heartbreak was bad, it didn’t even reach the same comparative level to this.

“Alyssa?” it was Shelby, “are you okay?”

Alyssa wiped away her tears and forced a smile. 

“Yeah. I’m alright.”

Her entire body screamed in protest, but she ignored it. She stood up and followed Shelby quietly to her car. They hopped in and Shelby drove her to the closest gas station. The cheerleader got out and went into the store, returning with two slushies and a shit ton of snacks after about half an hour. Alyssa didn’t notice how much time had gone by.

Shelby however, had just had the weirdest experience with one of the Broadway actors. And she was starting to understand. 

She handed a slushy to Alyssa silently and pushed a curl out of her face. 

“I don’t know what happened Alyssa, but I’m very sure it was partially my fault. I’m so sorry.”

Alyssa smiled weakly, “you didn’t bail on her, I did.”

They kinda did. Seeing as the whole school bailed on her in the worst way. But Alyssa was a bit too stuck in her head to get into details.

“We made you.”

“No,” Alyssa sighed, “I could’ve left... I should’ve left. I wanted to. But I was scared, and I didn’t go.”

“And now?” the other girl asked as they pulled out of the 24 Mart and headed down the country roads with no destination in mind. Alyssa sipped on her slushy sadly.

“Now I’ve got no one to go to.”

***

Emma was expecting a lot of things out of her first day back at school. Her heart shattering into a million itsy-bitsy pieces at the sight of her ex-girlfriend in her old flannel was not one of them. 

She wondered momentarily how it was still somehow too big for the girl, and her heart ached at the way it was probably super huge on her when she got it. It was super huge on Emma when she got it too. They were so little then. Freshman year. They were so free.

She had to pass Alyssa to get to her locker. They made eye contact as she did and Emma’s heart broke once more. Alyssa looked so _shattered_. She was trying to be brave. To keep her head up. But one look in her eyes and it was clear. Emma Nolan had actually hurt Alyssa Greene. Tears welled up in her eyes and her throat felt thick when she thought about it. 

She never wanted to hurt Alyssa. 

She just didn’t want to hurt herself.

“‘Lys,” she croaked as the girl walked past her and she stopped, looking small in the oversized fabric.

“What?” It sounded cold, but it was wary.

“I-”

“ALYSSA!”

Mrs. Greene popped out of nowhere.

Jesus fucking Christ would that woman just leave. them. _alone_.

“Mom!” Alyssa was suddenly very at attention, her eyes cold and slightly scared. Her walls were up so hard and fast it gave Emma whiplash.

“Come here.”

And she went. 

Emma sighed, looking over her shoulder once more at the girl she loved so much. She watched as she walked down the hall, turning the bend and disappearing. In Emma’s shirt. The one she gave her years before. Before they were even friends.

Emma wondered if she’d ever be forced to know Alyssa had it as strangers one day.

***

“I love you Emma Nolan!”

“Holy shit!”

***

“I’m so sorry”

“ _I’m_ so sorry.”

“Imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Please.”

***

Emma laughed breathlessly against Alyssa’s lips as the brunette gasped quietly, her back hitting the back wall of the school softly. Alyssa’s hands moved into Emma’s hair, threading through soft curls as her girlfriend pressed kiss after kiss to her skin.

Prom was over. They had done it. They had created a night for everyone, and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed it.

So they were there. Behind the school, both still very dressed up as they made out against the back wall with no fear of being caught.

Well there was, because their kissing was _pushing_ PG13, but not because they were hiding. They didn’t need to hide anymore. 

A shiver ran up Alyssa’s spine and she laughed quietly. Emma moved away to look at her and a protesting whine was pulled from her lips.

“Why’d you stop?”

“Why’d you laugh?”

“I’m cold.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows.

“Is that funny?”

“A little.”

“Why.”

“Because, Emma Nolan, there are so many reasons I should be shivering right now, and the unfortunate truth is it’s because I’m cold and not because you’re kissing me _like that_.”

“Shall I prove the cold air I’m better than it?” Emma asked playfully and Alyssa laughed. 

“No, I think it’s a sign that it’s time to move on.”

Emma pouted, “but we were having so much fun.”

“And we can keep having fun,” Alyssa whispered in her ear, slowly moving away from the wall and circling around her girlfriend, “somewhere slightly warmer.”

Emma laughed as Alyssa grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her truck, the smiles never leaving their faces even when they had to let go to clamber inside. Alyssa leaned back to grab the infamous green flannel from the back seat and slid it on, wincing slightly at how much it probably clashed with the colour of her dress. 

“What an absolutely gorgeous mix of colours,” Emma joked as she started up the engine and pulled out of the school parking lot.

“Thanks, this outfit was custom designed by a french designer. Jacques Gusteau.”

The blonde fought off a smile at the mention of the ratatouille chef. “Wow, you really work hard to woo a girl.”

“Like I’ve ever had to do any wooing,” Alyssa teased, “you were smitten with me from the get go.”

“Mmmmm you kissed me first.”

“And you said I love you first.”

“You fucked me first.”

“Emma!”

“What it’s true!”

“Ohmygod.”

“I love you”

“Simp.”

“Oh fuck you,” Emma groaned playfully as she pulled up to their destination for the evening. It was a big open field with nothingness for days around it, but above, the stars were so clear it felt like they were on the edge of the universe. 

“Yes please,” Alyssa quipped back and Emma rolled her eyes, sticking the car into park and grabbing the front of her old shirt, pulling Alyssa close and pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.

“You’re obnoxious. Lets go.”

They climbed out of the truck and made their way around back where Emma had compiled blankets, pillows, and snacks for their post-prom stargazing. Alyssa climbed up into the bed of the truck first, Emma following quickly behind. They settled down, Emma leaning against the back of the bed as Alyssa sat in her lap, the two of them looking up at the stars in wonder.

“I love you so much Alyssa Greene,” Emma said quietly, admitting it into the open space and hoping the words would reach the stars. 

Alyssa twisted slightly so she could look in her girlfriend’s eyes properly, “I love you Emma Nolan, I love you with all my heart.” She leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to soft lips before turning back around and snuggling in again.

“And I really love this shirt.”

“Good,” the blonde laughed quietly, “it looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

“I know.”

Emma bit down on her shoulder lightly in protest and Alyssa laughed loudly. 

There was a moment of silence, and then,

“God I really love you. Never let me go again please.”

“I don’t plan on it love.”

And she never did.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought if you want, comments and kudos make my day.
> 
> I hope everyone who reads this is having an okay day and if not I hope it this emotional mess of a story made it a bit better. Or at least not worse. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I'm @thelocalmoo on Tumblr, come chat w me there if you'd like. As always, this is your reminder to drink some water today. Water is good for you.


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